Queen legends Brian May and Roger Taylor have revealed that being the first Western band to play a stadium concert behind the Iron Curtain was not without its challenges. The music icons attended the premiere of a newly restored 40th anniversary edition of the concert at London's BFI IMAX.
The show, recorded on July 27, 1986, in Budapest's Népstadion, became the group's final filmed live performance and one of their final ever shows together, as frontman Freddie Mercury would die just five years later.
Security and surveillance
Asked if there were any "Soviet-style censorship restrictions" on their performance or warnings about not doing anything, Roger recalled: "Not that I remember. But we were followed everywhere by some sort of security, whatever they were, Government people keeping tabs on us at all times. I don't think it was as tough as some of the other countries, like Russia or Albania or something. But yeah, there was a bit of that," he said.
While it may be hard to imagine now, the concert was quite a big deal at the time, and Roger admitted the band were unsure of what sort of welcome they would receive.
Stepping into the unknown
"We didn't know what to expect when we went there. We didn't know if they knew the songs... they lived in a very different environment from ours, and we didn't know if they would join in. We always like to involve audiences and get them to clap and sing and whatever. And they were great. You can see they were pretty great," he smiled.
Brian agreed, reflecting: "It was kind of stepping into the unknown for us. But I mean, I now know what it was like for them. One of my best friends is from Armenia these days, and he tells me that when he was a kid, the only way he could listen to groups like us... was to get an illegal cassette under the counter.
"You could be prosecuted for listening to Western pop music. So for all these people, this was the first opportunity to come and actually see someone like us live...and you could feel the emotion."
Reliving the experience
Roger interjected, quipping: "I've been to Budapest quite a few times since then, and of course, it's completely changed, which tells me that socialism s****d."
Speaking about what it was like to relive the experience on the big screen decades later, Roger joked he was "quite exhausted." He added, "I think for me it brought the intense vitality of our Fred. You can see how hard he worked and the energy. Incredible. Lots of mistakes, but..."
Brian agreed: "Even at this distance, you don't get over that. I'm looking, and I'm tense, thinking, 'Oh God', because you still see the flaws. But it's wonderful to see Freddie in that shape. I mean, Freddie was in peak physical and mental condition. To see him like that is amazing. It was a wonderful moment. I'm so glad it was captured," he smiled.
